Southeast area sport fish report

Posted: August 10, 2012 - 12:02am

COURTESY OF THE ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

For the week of Aug. 6:

JUNEAU:

King salmon: Anglers are currently spending an average of 65 rod-hours per king salmon in the Juneau area. At this time last year it required 183 rod-hours per fish, and the five-year running average is 104 rod-hours per salmon. Juneau anglers did the best harvesting king salmon around backside of Douglas and South Shelter.

Halibut: Halibut in the Juneau area currently require approximately 4 rod-hours per fish. At this time last year the halibut fishery required approximately 4 rod-hours per fish, with a five year average of 5- rod-hours per fish. Anglers are currently having the most luck catching halibut in the North Shelter (including Handtroller’s Cove and North Pass) and backside of Douglas areas.

Coho salmon: Anglers are currently having luck catching silvers in the backside of Douglas and South Shelter areas. Coho currently require approximately 12 rod-hours per fish. This time last year Juneau anglers were required to put in approximately 2 rod-hours per fish, while the five year average is at 5 rod-hours per fish.

SOUTHEAST REGION:

This is the fourteenth sport harvest rates report of the 2012 season. Sport fishing effort sampled by our creel survey crews at each port ranged from below 200 rod-hours at Wrangell to over 1,900 rod-hours in Ketchikan.

King salmon: Chinook salmon harvest rates ranged from 8 rod-hours per fish in Sitka, to 144 rod-hours in Ketchikan. No harvested Chinook salmon were encountered in Petersburg or Yakutat last week. The Chinook salmon fishery throughout the region should continue to be productive into mid-August, as some inner Southeast Alaska ports will have hatchery fish returning to enhance local fisheries, while the outer coast ports will continue to have the benefit of access to a mixed-stock Chinook salmon fishery.

Halibut: All sampled ports had harvested halibut encountered by our creel personnel, with harvest rates ranging from 1 rod-hour per fish in Craig/Klawock, to 11 rod-hours in Wrangell.

Coho salmon: Harvested coho salmon were encountered at seven sampled ports last week, and harvest rates ranged from 1 rod-hour per fish at Craig/Klawock and Sitka, to 13 rod-hours in Petersburg.

Pink salmon: Pink salmon harvest was encountered at eight sampled ports, with the harvest rates ranging from 1 rod-hour per fish in Ketchikan to 27 rod-hours in Wrangell.

Chum salmon: Harvested chum salmon were encountered at four sampled ports, with harvest rates ranging from 103 rod-hours per fish in Petersburg, to 349 rod-hours in Juneau.

REMINDERS: The 2012 sport fishing regulations for king salmon in Southeast and Yakutat went into effect March 31. They are as follows:

• Alaska residents: bag and possession limit of 3 king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length; no annual limit.

• Nonresident: bag and possession limit of 1 king salmon 28 inches or greater in length.

Check online or call the sport fish office for the full king salmon regulations, and the most current lingcod and rockfish news releases.

For the District 11 waters around the Juneau area the liberalized king salmon regulations have been rescinded as of June 1.

As a means to increase angling opportunities for kings, the Juneau Hatchery Terminal Harvest Area regulations will be in effect between the dates of Friday, June 1 through Friday, Aug. 31. Go online for the specifics on the regulation.

Beginning April 30, marine boat anglers possessing sport caught king and coho salmon, lingcod or non-pelagic rockfish may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head these fish until the fish have been offloaded, unless they have been consumed or preserved onboard. Gutting and gilling is allowed. Once you offload at port, you may head and/or fillet your catch. This restriction allows our creel survey crew at the docks to check for coded-wire-tags and collect biological information. Please check the news release for communities and designated time frames in which the restriction applies.

• For more on fishing reports in your area, go online to adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishingReports.

News releases and emergency orders issued thus far for the 2012 sport fisheries can be viewed at the following link: adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportFishingInfo.R1&year=2012.